


Conceptions

by hlravensnest_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Raven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-12-31
Updated: 2000-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:01:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11837892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlravensnest_archivist/pseuds/hlravensnest_archivist
Summary: Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived atHL Raven's Nest. Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onHL Raven's Nest's collection profile.





	Conceptions

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HL Raven's Nest](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HL_Raven%27s_Nest). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HL Raven's Nest's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hlravensnest/profile).

Conceptions by RSS

_Conceptions_

By RSS 

* * *

**USA, 1977**

Nicholas Wolfe plays basketball in a schoolyard with his friends. A woman walks along the street outside the schoolyard fence and stops to watch the boys playing. Nicholas notices her watching. She's wearing a floppy hat and dark sunglasses and has long, curly black hair. The woman has one palm pressed against the fence. After a few minutes she slowly walks away. 

* * *

**Present Time**

Nick Wolfe is in his suite catching up on some paperwork when he senses another Immortal's presence. He looks at his watch. Amanda left only an hour ago; her coming back from shopping so soon can't be good news. 

There's a knock on his door. 

"Come in!" 

Bert Myers enters. He has a big smile on his face. 

"Nick, I've got a surprise for you!" He waves and a woman enters. She's an Immortal. The woman looks in her early to mid-20s. Nick figures she's about 5' 6", her high heel sandals and long thin legs make her look taller. She has long black hair, an hour glass figure, and a drop dead gorgeous face. 

"Nick I'd like you to meet Betty Wuerger, your sister!" 

"I'm so happy to meet you Nick!" 

Nick can't hide his suspicion. 

"Nick, she checks out. She's been using our agency to try to find her long lost brother. Small world isn't it?" 

"Yes, a small world." 

"I'm so glad I found you! I've been searching for so long!" Betty starts crying. 

"I'll leave you two alone." 

"Oh, how much do I owe?" Betty asks as she reaches into her purse. 

"This one's on the house! One of the company perks." 

Bert walks out and closes the door behind him. Nick waits a few moments. "What's your game? We both know you can't be my sister!" 

"Why can't I be?" 

"We don't have parents." 

"We do, we just don't know who they are." 

"What makes you think you're my sister?" 

"I just told the agency that. I couldn't tell them the truth." 

"What is the truth?" 

"I…am your mother." 

Before Nick can respond Betty quickly rattles off the details of when and where she left him. Nick responds with one of the truths he knows about Immortals. 

"We're Immortals. We can't have children." 

"Your teacher told you that?" 

"Yes." 

"Let me guess; some ancient warrior who claims he has all the answers?" 

"My teacher is a woman." 

"How old?" 

"About 1,200 years." 

"I'm not that old. I don't have all the answers. I'd only been dead about a year when I had you. But I will tell you what I know." 

"My teacher, Amanda, and all the others --" 

"They all tell you it's impossible?" 

"Yea." 

"Have you had a Quickening yet?" 

"Before I became Immortal I killed two Immortals." 

"Maybe that doesn't count. As best we can figure, two Immortals can conceive a child if their Immortality has been triggered and they haven't had a Quickening." 

"We?" 

"Yes, there are others I know that have had children. That's the common denominator." 

"Why did you abandon me?" 

"My teacher said that's the way it had to be. I shouldn't have listened to him! I don't know why I listened to him! When I first met him. He was like those heroes you read about in those Romance novels. It was only later I found out how ignorant, petty, and cruel he was." 

"My father?" 

"Not him. Another Immortal died a couple of months after I did. My teacher took him on. He was your father. His name was Rick Maze. He was a kind and intelligent man." 

"Was?" 

"My, our teacher, killed him. He killed him out of petty jealousy." 

"Is that guy still alive?" 

"I hope not. I'll never tell you who he is! Son!" Betty throws her arms around Nick. "I don't want anything to happen to you!" 

"I need time to think about this." 

"I understand." Betty hands Nick a piece of paper with a phone number on it. 

"You don't know how happy I am to see you! My beautiful son! For years after I left you I would wander past playgrounds and schoolyards. Sometimes I'd sense an Immortal about your age and wonder if he was my son." 

Betty starts crying. She kisses Nick on the cheek and leaves. 

* * *

Amanda enters The Sanctuary with a shopping bag in each hand and a wide smile on her face. She loses her smile when she gets a good look at Nick. "What's wrong?" 

"Amanda where do Immortals come from?" 

Amanda's smile returns. "A five year old once asked me where babies come from. He had the same look on his face." 

"Amanda, I'm serious." 

"So was he. With him I knew the answer but I made something up. I don't have the answer. Would you like me to make something up?" 

"A woman came by today. She said two Immortals who haven't had a Quickening can conceive a child." 

"What insane asylum did she escape from?" 

"Her name is Betty Wuerger. Do you know her?" 

"Doesn't ring a bell." 

"She says she's my mother." 

Amanda's eyes widen. "I should know her. It sounds like the kind of scam I would pull." 

"She found me through Bert's detective agency." 

"That's too much of a coincidence." 

"She knew many details about where I was abandoned." 

"Nick, when I pulled scams on people I made sure I knew many details." 

"Have you ever heard anything about where we come from?" 

"The only thing I've ever heard is no one knows. Nick, I've been around for a long time. I've known Immortals who were a lot older and wiser. Nobody knows. Did she ask you for money?" 

"No." 

"She soon will. That I do know." 

* * *

Nick has trouble concentrating on his cases. Every now and then he looks at the phone number Betty gave him. He knows Amanda must be right, that's why he hasn't called Betty. Nick senses another Immortal. Nick steps outside his suite and descends the staircase. Amanda shouts, "The going price for a long lost mother is 20,000." The doorbell rings. "Let's meet your mother." 

Amanda answers the door to find Betty on the other side. Amanda waves her in. 

"Nick, I just couldn't stay away!" 

Betty rushes to Nick and gives him a big hug. Amanda gestures to Nick as if she's writing out a check. 

"You're Amanda, Nick's teacher?" 

"I'm Amanda, his teacher. You're not his mother so why don't you drop the charade and tell us what you're up to." 

"It's no charade!" 

"Darling, I've been around for over 1,000 years. Immortals can't have children." 

"Why? Because your teacher who was around since the year one told you?" 

"So has every other Immortal I've ever met." 

"A thousand years ago people were ignorant. They relied on age-old wisdom that was invariably wrong. They believed in spontaneous generation then. There is no such thing as spontaneous generation. We don't just pop up from nothing." 

"Is someone after you?" 

Betty glances at Nick then looks at Amanda. "No. Is that what you think? I came here pretending to be his mother so he would give me protection?" 

"Something like that." 

Betty points her finger at Amanda. "When you point a finger at another you point four fingers at yourself." 

Amanda turns away. Nick can tell Betty struck a nerve. 

"I never asked for help." 

"I see. I'm not part of this game. Nick doesn't have to be either." 

"There isn't any choice in the matter!" 

"There's always a choice. In this case it's a choice between a barbaric superstition and joining the human race. Nick, you're better than she is. You don't have to live like her." 

"Who are you to judge me!" 

"One who grew up in a time when we were taught to question accepted truths. Nick you have my number. I'll be in town for three more days. Think it over carefully. You can live like a mortal forever." 

Betty turns and walks out quickly. 

"Nick you're not seriously considering what she's saying?" 

"Why shouldn't I? She has more answers and makes more sense than you." 

"If what she was saying is true I would have heard something about it." 

"There can be only one. Say an Immortal wanted to be the only Immortal on the planet." 

"Not unusual." 

"That Immortal isn't likely to tell others how to make other Immortals." 

"Nick, I would have heard something." 

* * *

The next day Nick is alone in The Sanctuary. He's torn between Betty and Amanda; both are products of their times. In Amanda's time questioning age-old wisdom was considered heretical. In Betty's time questioning everything was expected. Science has proved most of the wisdom of the ages wrong. Betty is the first Immortal Nick has met who has questioned the accepted truths of Immortality. Nick looks at his reflection in a mirror and thinks _She also has some convincing proof._ The sensation of another Immortal presence interrupts Nick's thoughts. 

There's a knock on the door. Nick answers the door., it's Betty wearing jeans, flat shoes and a sweatshirt. 

"I'm sorry about giving you an ultimatum. Amanda isn't around, is she?" 

Nick shakes his head, "No". 

"I just bought a place outside Paris. It's been empty for years. I figure it's far enough out of the way that I shouldn't be getting any unwanted visitors. It's close enough to Paris that we can see each other from time to time. I'm sorry about the way I acted towards Amanda. I wrote her a letter. Nick can you follow me to the place? That way you'll know were it is. Besides, I might need you to move a few things around." 

"Sure." 

Betty shows him an envelope. "Can I leave this where she will find it?" 

"Sure, you can slip it under her door." 

Nick leads her to the door of Amanda's suite. A few minutes later Nick is following Betty in his Sports Utility Vehicle. Nick knows Betty truly believes she's his mother. Nick believes she's right. She doesn't appear to be deluded. 

* * *

Betty turns onto a gravel road that ends at a villa in the distance. They park their vehicles and step out. Betty walks to Nick and gives him a hug. Then she waves her hand at the villa. 

"Well what do you think?" 

"Impressive." 

"Let's look inside." Betty leads the way. She puts up her hair as she walks to the front door. Nick can see the place will need a lot of work. He wonders if Betty is that wealthy or if she doesn't realize what kind of money pit this place is. Betty opens the front door steps inside and waves in Nick. 

Nick steps inside. He sees Betty with a sword in one hand and her other hand behind her back. She has on a devilish smile. 

"The easiest way to kill a hawk is when it's a hatchling. I've been keeping tabs on you since you were a boy. Computers make the job so much easier. The letter is a 'Dear John'. It's a very touching letter. It thanks her for all she's done – in your handwriting. Forgery is one of the tricks of the Immortal trade." 

Nick reaches for his gun. His holster is empty. Betty giggles as she shows Nick the gun in her other hand. 

"Looking for this? Another trick of the trade." 

Betty releases the magazine, which falls to the floor. She tosses the gun across the room. Nick draws his sword. 

"I love it when they try to fight back." 

Betty goes on the attack striking at Nick with a combination of blows. Nick blocks them and Betty steps back. 

"I see you passed Fencing 101, with a 'C'." 

Betty attacks again, driving Nick backward up a wide staircase. Halfway up the staircase Betty disarms Nick, his sword flying over the railing. Betty giggles as Nick strikes her jaw with a left hook. Betty spins around then tumbles down the staircase, dropping her sword as she falls. 

Nick grabs Betty's sword. Betty is on her knees. "I should have gotten to you sooner," she blurts out, her tone matter-of-fact. "What I told you I heard. It was too late for me. It's not too late for you." Betty slowly rises. "Even if it's not true, a Quickening changes everything." Her voice is low, almost seductive. She slowly walks backwards. Nick stands his ground. 

"When I first learned about The Game I thought, 'I could never do that.' Then there was my first fight. It happened so fast I didn't have time to think. I thought I was going to get sick. Then there was The Quickening. Nothing in the mortal world comes close. I enjoy it. Everyone who experiences it does. I know you've killed but I'm sure you never enjoyed it. Do you really want to start enjoying it?" 

Betty is a few feet from the door. Amanda steps inside, broadsword in hand. Betty turns around. Amanda swings her sword and beheads Betty. 

Nick thought nothing could shock him anymore. Amanda proved him wrong again. Amanda gives Nick a stern look. 

"We have to talk." 

Then the Quickening overtakes her. She giggles a bit, then lightening bolts strike her body. Amanda seems to enjoy it. 

Amanda said nothing when she walked to her car. She followed Nick back to The Sanctuary. Nick felt like a schoolboy going to the principal's office. 

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

Amanda steps into her suite and picks up the envelope on the floor. 

"Betty wrote that." 

Amanda takes the letter from the envelope and scans it. 

"Maybe I should give it to Joe Dawson as payment. I sweet-talked him into telling me about Betty. He told me she was casing that abandoned villa. Betty's MO was to pretend to be a young Immortal's mother. She would lure them from their teachers and take their heads. She'd been doing that for 350 years. When you weren't here I drove to the villa." 

"I didn't need your help." 

Amanda tosses the letter and envelope on her desk. She gives Nick a stern look. "You were going to let her walk! Immortals come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they directly challenge you. Sometimes they use their innocent looks as a weapon. When an Immortal tries to kill you, take their head." 

"How much of what she said was true?" 

Amanda motions for Nick to sit on her couch. Nick sits and Amanda sits next to him. "Nick, I'm old. I've known Immortals who are even older. Joe Dawson, the Watchers, they have records on thousands of Immortals. No one has any idea where we come from. Nick, you can live your life searching for answers, but you won't find any. It's easier if you just accept who you are." 

THE END 

* * *

© 2000   
Please send comment's to the author! 

* * *


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